BARNHOUSE RENOVATION | Master Closet makeover

I was SO excited when I saw this little alcove in the Barnhouse because I knew it would be PERFECT for a master walk-in closet! Once the door was closed up and all the drywall was done, I was not quite sure how to design the space to work for the joining of mine and my hub’s clothes in our first closet together. I was wandering around The Container Store and LOVED how the Elfa closet system looked and functioned, so I reached out, and they offered to help me design and install the space, and I am OBSESSED with how it turned out! Then, taking some tips from Marie Kondo, I moved in all my clothes (and a few of my hubs) in a super organized way, which is making life so much easier. Let me take you along the process!

Closet design: The process was so simple, I measured the closet space, then set up a meeting with a designer at my local The Container Store. We walked through all the sample closets and I told her about our needs and budget. She sent me off to walk around the store for 20 min, and I came back to a completely designed the closet rendering. The designer talked me through what she did, and then we adjusted it until it was perfect! I loved how they could totally customize it, I got to pick the wood tone, bracket color, the pulls, and they even factored in my height so I could hang long dresses without touching the floor.Install: The Container Store was nice enough to send over someone to install, but I watched the whole process and it’s totally DIYable if you are looking to save the install cost. They screwed a rail into the studs, then all the vertical tracks hang on the rails. Then you add and adjust your shelves. My favorite finishing touch was the plugs that snapped into the tracks to cover up the holes and make them fade into the background. The Shoe Rack is a gamechanger! It can be mounted on wall or hang on a door, and it is AMAZING for seeing all the shoes I am wearing in one, visible place. It claims it can hold 36 pairs! I don’t think I will push it to the max, and instead keep the off season pairs up top in the canvas baskets, and display the one I am currently wearing (plus my prettiest heels!)

Organization: I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up years ago, and with all the excitement around her new show, I decided to use some of those skills in the new closet. So far I am loving the folding technique! As some who NEVER has matching socks, folding each pair and lining them up makes it so much easier to grab and go in the morning. I used the same folding technique with my gym shirts/pants, and I am never going back to stacking. It’s so much easier to open my drawer and see everything lined up. I folded each shirt with a little bit of the logo/graphics showing so I can grab the one I want right away!

I am loving all the baskets for off season storage, and used the same standing fold technique which makes it so easy to access what I need quickly, and without digging (raise your hand if you have emptied an entire drawer on the floor looking for one piece of clothing). The canvas baskets way at the top were only $10 a piece, and the label slot makes it perfect for high up so you can know what is in each without seeing in. I think the woven baskets are so pretty, and work great for my hubs T-shirts, and I love that instead of stacking on the shelves, the clothes are tucked away in the basket, which visually makes the closet look much less cluttered! Oh, and YES will will be adding doors to the closet…eventually…in the meantime the openness will encourage me to keep it organized!